Various endeavors can require a high degree of individual expertise, such as troubleshooting equipment (e.g., an optical network terminal (ONT)). Unfortunately, the training required to develop this expertise can be very costly and time-consuming. Persons having the needed expertise may also not be available in sufficient number for organizations that provide a high volume of equipment troubleshooting, such as an optical network provider.
Computer-based expert systems have been developed to help address these problems. However, such systems can be difficult to program, difficult to use, and difficult to modify to reflect changes in the underlying information.